Tamil Nadu doctors demand end to 24-hour duty, seek rotational shifts

Government doctors' associations in Tamil Nadu are demanding an end to 24-hour duty shifts, advocating for a rotational system instead, following a viral video of a TVK MLA's midnight inspection at Government Hospital in Eral. The Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association stated no official order mandates 24-hour duty, arguing it is "inhuman" and urging the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services to implement shift systems immediately. The Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association condemned the MLA's filming and public blaming of a resting duty doctor, asserting this does not constitute negligence. The associations urged the state government to issue guidelines for a regulated rotational duty system with adequate rest across health directorates, warning of potential protests and work boycotts if further incidents targeting healthcare workers occur.